I Spy With My Little Eye
by cloudyskiesbringimagination
Summary: When a new boy turns up at St. Hopes a relationship blossoms between him and Rose. There's just one problem; he's a skul agent. RoseXOC Please R
1. Chapter 1

I Spy With My Little Eye- Chapter 1

_I wanted to write an MI high story after reading a lot of MI high fanfiction recently and seeing that there are only three Rose stories on the site (it annoyed me as Rose is my favourite character and she is really under- appreciated at times!) Anyway here's the first chapter!_

Xxx

The students sat in their plastic chairs, most with their heads laid on the tables sleeping their way through class, all except one; Rose Gupta. She sat at the front of the room, listening to the teacher with aspiring eyes when once in a while thrusting her arm in the air in delight answering question after question. But she sat alone. Most believed her to be pathetic driven with attention yet few realised the true potential that was cascading from her heart. She could be filled in a room full of a million people yet she would always be alone.

'...so therefore the answer is five point three rec...', Rose replied to Miss Templeman's question only to be interrupted by a firm knocking on the classroom door causing the rest of the class to wake suddenly from their deep and peaceful slumber.

'Come in', Miss Templeman said putting the lid back on the whiteboard en and placing it gently on her desk.

The door opened and in strode a boy about the same age as the pupils. He had skin the same colour as the palest pearl, his hair was shoe polish black, straight and most of it spread across his forehead in the recent teenage style and his eyes shone like jewels as river greens and blues washed over his iris.

Miss Templeman looked up and smiled at him before turning to the students and saying 'Class, this is Niall. He's new here so be nice. Why don't you take a seat Niall?'

Suddenly at the mention of the good- looking new boy taking a seat all of the girls in the room brushed away the person sitting next to them and all their belongings to make way for the new boy who they would ultimately hit on. At least that was unless it was a girl they were sitting next to which meant them getting into a fight. This applied to all the girls in the class, even Carrie and Avril felt the urge to give Oscar a quick shove to make way for the new guy but Rose just sat there obviously not interested and moved her bag onto the empty seat next to her so he wouldn't be able to sit next to her. Miss Templeman rolled her eyes to compensate for not giving herself a face palm, she needed to get away from teenagers for a while.

Niall looked around the classroom to see chaos and smirked, he usually had this effect on girls and then he spotted Rose, quietly sat by herself at the front desk reading a book with her bag on the seat next to her. This confused him, it never happened, girls usually fell to his feet instantly and his charm controlled them like robots but this one was different. She wasn't bothered, not in the slightest smitten with him but in fact quite the opposite as she had shown by placing her bag on the empty seat next to her and her eyes firmly fixated on the book in her hand. And that's what intrigued him.

He walked over, silence hitting the room as the girls sat promptly back in their seats smiling sweetly not at all subtly implying their new- found feelings for him or praying that he would choose them to sit next to.

He stopped at Rose's table; her mind was still stuck snugly in her reading and her bag still in his way of the chair sitting next to her. He cleared his throat to show that he was there but still she didn't notice obviously being too engaged into her book...or maybe she was just ignoring him.

'Excuse me, could I sit there?', he asked catching her attention and pointing to the chair next to her.

There was a shriek from the girls that sounded loud enough as if somebody was gasping for air to live.

She put her book down and sighed, she was trying to avoid him but she could hardly say 'no' now could she?

'Sure', she smiled fakely, slightly cringing but he could tell she was lying; she was never a good actress. She took her bag off the chair next to her so he could sit down.

Miss Templeman rubbed her head distressfully at the previous commotion before asking the class 'Can you get your exercise books out please'

There was a groan from the kids meaning 'What? We actually have to do work, usually we just snooze while you yap, everyone's happy!' before a rustling of books and stationary hit.

As Rose picked her exercise book out of her bag her eyes flickered over a red flashing light that was hidden at the bottom of her bag, she buried her hand deep down to reach it before plucking it out of her bag. Her pencil was flashing...again. Could it be any more obvious? Luckily no one had noticed it so far.

Carrie and Oscar had already made their excuses of leaving class and were waiting for her outside, their faces peaking through the glass classroom door lisping 'Hurry up we've got a mission to get to!' She hand began to shoot up, the usual toilet trick in her mind but it somehow collided with Niall's face in a swift punch causing his nose to bleed thoroughly.

'Ouch!', he screeched, he knew that she didn't really like him but he wasn't expecting that! He held his nose in agony as blood spilled from it freely.

Rose, shocked with what she had just done began to stutter 'I am so sorry, here let me help you, I'm really sorry!'

She could see Carrie and Oscar's expressions clearly through the windowed door. Oscar's was a shocked, shrieking, what-the-hell-did-you-do-that-for type whilst Carrie's was proud with a thunbs up to Rose. Rose could read what Carrie was saying to Oscar as he dragged her to HQ not eager to wait for Rose anymore 'I taught her that!' which made perfect sense since Carrie was the ninja of the group.

Miss Templeman on the other hand didn't look so impressed and just muttered to herself 'Rose Gupta punching someone, what's the world coming to?', before sending Rose to take Niall to the school nurse so he could get cleaned up.

Xxx

They sat at the chairs by the reception in complete silence. It seemed that the school nurse wasn't here today due to a headache and getting physically sick, otherwise known as a hangover. So they had had to visit the reception for a towel and ice pack for Niall's nose.

Rose fidgeted knowing that every second she spent with Niall meant less a second for mission briefing. Niall noticed her twiddling fingers as seconds after second she would stare at the clock as if pleading that time would just fast forward.

'What's up with you?', he nudged her with his elbow whilst holding the ice pack to his nose.

'Nothing, it's just I'm running a bit late for something', she stuttered twiddling her fingers even more.

'Well I'm sorry but you're not going, I have no idea how to get back to class and the receptionist said I've gotta stay out here for another half an hour', he replied feeling happily selfish with himself although he did look like a complete idiot.

They both sighed before Rose looked at him sceptically, he noticed.

'What?', he moaned.

'It's just...pass me the wet towel', she sighed but he did as she asked of him.

She took the damp towel, drowned it in a bowl of water and wringed it out before pressing it down gently onto the blood stained skin around his face 'Sorry', she apologised one last time. He smiled, relishing the feeling of what felt like tight, caked mud sewn to his skin being absorbed away...and her touch.

'Thank you', he replied, grasping hold of her hand and clutching it gently before gazing at her. At first glance, she could have easily been the ugliest in the class but when you looked closer, under the glasses, baggy clothes and tightly made up hair she was one of the most beautiful and he noticed that. She didn't have to be fake and powder her face in make- up like the other girls because she was already beautiful.

He dropped his gaze quickly, uncomfortable all of a sudden.

'I never asked you your name', he said still feeling his textured fingers run across hers.

'Rose', she smiled behind her thickly rimmed glasses.

'Well Rose, if you're running late for whatever it is you're doing you can go. I'll be fine by myself', he smiled forced to let go of her hand.

'Thanks', she whispered, she had wanted to go ten minutes ago desperately but now she desperately wanted to stay but she knew she'd get into trouble if she did. She walked casually away but when once out of sight she ran quickly to the caretaker's closet leaving him by himself and an ice pack laid down on the bridge of his nose.

He smiled and whispered to himself 'Rose. A fragrant, colourful flower with enveloping petals and thorns growing across it's stem deriving from the Greek word rhodon' and then he sighed. He might have been punched in the face but at least it had given him a chance to get to know her.

Then he heard the buzzing of his phone in his blazer pocket and pulled it out, somebody was ringing him. The caller I.D. read S.K.U.L.

Xxx

_So what do you think? Should I carry it on? Also I go back to school tomorrow and will probably not have much time on this so if you're expecting an update it won't happen very soon, sorry! Thanks for reading and please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

I Spy With My Little Eye- Chapter 2

_Hi, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one! Also this starts directly after the last chapter...kinda._

Xxx

Rose waltzed out of the secret, underground elevator rushed yet a pale smile was still etched onto her face.

'Why so late Rose?', Frank sighed, mission briefing was important and they hadn't got time to just mess about when there was a world threat from a villainous criminal.

She stood there staring at her feet for a moment before opening her mouth to respond before closing it immediately thinking about what she was going to say. Saying _'Yeah well I got caught up with the new boy and just didn't want to leave'_ didn't sound too good and would just raise questions so she kept her mouth firmly shut. Luckily or unluckily (depending on your point of view) Carrie answered for her. 'She punched the new kid in the face and had to go with him to the reception...accidently of course', she said as an afterthought.

Frank's eyebrows rose in surprise at the mention of 'Rose' and 'Punching'.

'Wow, Rose I didn't think you were capable of...', Frank trailed off confused.

'That's what I thought', Oscar interrupted nodding in agreement.

Rose rolled her eyes 'Thanks a lot!', she spat sarcastically before changing the subject and asking 'The mission?'

The three young spies turned to Frank for the mission briefing, their arms all crossed in unison waiting impatiently.

'The truth is there is no mission', Frank shrugged before saying 'The reason I brought you here is to inform you that there has been a breach in the M.I.9. Security, SKUL has gained information about your whereabouts and HQ but luckily they don't know your identities. All they know is that there are three child spies working for M.I.9. undercover and that there's a HQ somewhere hidden in the school. Therefore HQ will be shut down until the threat is gone and...'

'What, you can't do that!', Rose interrupted, being a spy was her life, it made her who she wanted to be. When she was just Rose the geeky school girl she was picked on and weak, she wouldn't stand up for herself and there would be no one to stand up for her but when she was Agent Gupta she got to save the world every day, was respected for her IQ instead of taunted and best of all; she had friends, the best friends she could ever have. She didn't want to give up on her chance to escape from that person.

'She's right!', Carrie agreed to Rose's defence, knowing that 'until the threat is gone' could be a very long time.

Oscar being the strong and silent type just nodded forcefully in agreement.

Frank sighed and rubbed his forehead stressfully 'On the contrary we need to keep you safe and to do that we can't take any chances and risk your identities being revealed by SKUL. So therefore HQ will be shut, your communicators will be disabled and your jobs as undercover spies will be delayed for the time being. You will go back to being normal school kids until told otherwise. Until then if you are in danger you are able to use HQ as a safe house but only in emergencies...'

'But...', Rose whimpered slightly trying to keep her composure together after learning that all efforts of the dream team will be gone with only soft memories ringing in their heads. SKUL's persistence was as strong as Carries muscles, they wouldn't be giving up any time soon and neither would their threat leave them in peace or at all.

'No buts, what I said is an order', Frank replied sternly, this hurt him as much as it hurt them, he was part of the team as well and losing them meant that the sparkle in his eyes would shine dimmer day after day.

'But we're a team, we're more than that, we're a family', Oscar's emotions suddenly exploded, he couldn't take losing another family not anymore.

'He's right; we can't just fall apart like this. We should be doing the opposite so we can actually defeat SKUL not cower away!' Carrie argued her sadness and disappointment creeping in as rage.

'It's the only way we can keep you safe, I'm sorry', Frank sighed, wiping his watery eyes.

Tears falling from her eyes Rose covered her ears in an attempt to shut out the loud argument that was taking place before her. She closed her eyes trying to remember past memories so that she would remember every detail of them forever and savour them until the day she would die. She had lost so many; she didn't want to lose anymore.

'Goodbye', she whispered, she would of course see Carrie, Oscar and Frank again but she would only see Carrie the school jock show- off, Oscar the quiet school boy who was plagued by the likes of Avril and Frank the caretaker who swept the school clean and mucked out the gutters; not the people who she truly knew. Sequined beads skipped gracefully down her cheek before she ran into the elevator trying to wipe the tears away as if she could wipe what had just happened all away.

The elevator doors closed for the last time, closing on her beautiful world, closing on her beautiful friends staring silently, forlornly at her knowing that this would be the last time seeing each other for who they truly were; spies and closing on her beautiful way of life. Closing, closing, closing...closed. Closed 'until the threat is gone' in other words closed forever.

When she returned back into the caretakers store room she rubbed her tear stained cheeks yet that didn't stop the rapid flow pouring from her eyes and dirtying her glasses that had returned to her. Her specks were sitting uncomfortably on her nose, her flat heeled black shoes were planted on her feet, her baggy school jumper wrapped around the top half of her body and her hair was combed into a tight pony tail. She was Rose again, just Rose not agent Gupta or the teen that saved the world with her massive brain just Rose.

She sighed and sniffed a little before opening the closet door and rushed outside to get as far away from them as she could as they would not be them anymore but ended up slumped on the wall outside clutching her pencil tightly in her hands letting the tears fall freely. Somebody sat down next to her, she didn't notice until a warm hand picked up hers and held it tightly. She looked up from her clutched knees and the dusty floor to see Niall. She quickly looked away and pulled her hand back, she was already in one mess she didn't need to be in another.

'I better get back to class', she smiled fakely before turning and starting to walk away.

'Wait, please just tell me what's wrong, I can help you', he replied. She paused in her walk, her back still turned away from him.

'I doubt anyone can do that', she scoffed.

'Well just let me help you', he asked.

'No', she replied firmly.

'Why not?', he asked softly.

She hesitated for a moment before sighing 'Because...because I'm just Rose, nothing special, that's the way things are, that's the way it will always be, just Rose', she said before walking away leaving him startled. Just Rose that was all she was ever going to be. She should have known that from the start. She'd have to be just a normal teenager from now on. Just Rose.

Xxx

_Thanks for reading and I know much hasn't happened in this chapter and please don't hate me for terminating them being spies because that's going to lead onto something else to make sense later. So thanks again :) and please review! Anyways how amazing were the last two episodes of M. especially 'Plan B', loved it!_


	3. Chapter 3

I Spy With My Little Eye- Chapter 3

_Hi, thanks to everyone who's reviewed my previous chapters and I hope you enjoy this one._

Xxx

The next day Rose walked meekly into class but for once late. She didn't see the point of being the first one in school like always, it would only remind her of what she was missing. With her battered rucksack slung across her right shoulder, she entered the class. All the students stared at her for a moment, this was something they hadn't saw before; Rose late. It just didn't make sense to them; it never would so they just kept on watching. Rose spotted Carrie's and Oscar's eyes throughout the sea of irises and locked with them for a second. They weren't the people she knew anymore. They were just strangers now. She turned away.

'Sorry I'm late Miss, family problems', she muttered, she wasn't lying when she said family problems but not her blood- related family. Miss Templeman nodded; she really wasn't bothered like most of the class.

She pulled her rucksack off her shoulder and sat down in her seat next to Niall and he pushed his copy of 'Romeo & Juliet' to the centre of the table so she could share it with him. As Miss Templeman continued with her long, droning analytical founding of Act 1 Scene 1 of 'Romeo & Juliet' a strong yet gentle hand passed a scrawny, folded up piece of paper to Rose. She unravelled it with her thin, nimble fingers and skimmed over the biro- written handwriting.

'_Are you ok? I'm worried about you; I hate to see you cry'_

She smiled before scribbling down a reply quickly and passing it to him behind Miss Templeman's gaze.

The edges of his mouth pulled instantly into a pale smile as soon as he saw the note.

'_Yes, no, I don't know anymore but about yesterday that was all just nothing. Don't worry. Thanks for asking though, that's sweet'_

He put the note into his inside blazer pocket so that it would be safe and bit his lip to stop his contagious smiles spreading. She thought he was 'sweet' yet she was keeping secrets. He could read people like a book and knew that she was hiding something from him. Then he looked at her for a moment, that was all it took, a moment and returned to listening to Miss Templeman's crazed ramblings.

'So Niall, how do you think Romeo's character develops throughout the play?', Miss Templeman asked in that tone that said 'I'm a bored teacher who needs therapy, please don't muck about with this'

He sat up straight and wrapped his hands together firmly 'Well to start off Romeo was infatuated with Rosaline but only loved her for her looks yet she didn't love him back so his friends took him to a masquerade ball to take his mind off Rosaline's rejection. And that was when he found Juliet. He looked behind her looks to find that she was not only beautiful on the outside but on the inside too and they instantly fell in love. But their names and the sides they were on led to their downfall. They died', he sighed when he had come to his profound, Shakespearean ending. He had no idea of the complications of the similarities between himself and Romeo yet he still continued to live the story.

The class was so silent and awkward that you could probably hear a pin fall with the often occasion of girls sighing yet they had no idea what his words meant. Miss Templeman broke the silence with a loud coughing and clearing of her throat 'Well thank you Niall. That was, was...deep' which in teacher language meant 'Whatever'

He slumped back in his seat again with an array of words such as 'Sweetheart', 'Romantic' and 'Adorable' from many of the girls with some unspeakable comments after that and words such as 'Idiot', 'Freak' and 'Weirdo' from many of the boys and again with some unspeakable comments after that echoing around the room. But he had what he wanted; her gaze. She stared at him for a moment; her face leant comfortably on her closed palm and met his gaze. She didn't move away from it awkwardly like most would but kept her eyes firmly fixated before returning to reading the script in front of her. She wasn't really paying much attention to the text or the beauty of English literature but distanced herself a little. She needed any distraction. Any distraction from a boy like him.

Xxx

When the bell had sounded and the lesson was finished the majority of the students sprung from their seats, their sudden energy rooted from their placid tiredness and left the room in a hurry including Miss Templeman glad for the blessed escape that was lunch. Yet Rose stayed seated. Niall slipped on his leather jacket but paused for a second to ask 'Aren't you coming to lunch?'

She shook her head and replied 'I've got work to do' she wasn't exactly lying but she wasn't exactly telling the truth either.

'What kinda work? English?', he asked casually picking up his bag and slinging it onto his shoulder.

'I guess you could call it that', she chuckled coyly to herself, oh the love of knowing something that no one else did, the love of knowing a secret but little did she know he had a secret of his own.

He looked at her for a second; his expression curved in confusion and curiosity 'What?' believing that he had misheard her.

She looked up to him standing next to her 'Nothing', she sighed and other times the pain of keeping a secret that could determine the fate of life and death bled right through her skin and hurt her to the core. 'You better run if you want to get into the dinner queue before the year 7's finish the fish and chips up', she joked yet she didn't smile. She never smiled, well at least not like she meant it in the past few days he had come to know her. It was as if she was hiding something.

'Okay, see you later then', Niall said and walked out of the room as Rose's gaze fell from him. He quickly snuck behind the door and watched her curiously. What on earth did she mean by 'I guess you could call it that' He was the chameleon that adapted to any environment, invisible when he wanted but he used that to his advantage for SKUL. It was SKUL that had trained him, given him these abilities so he was determined to repay them and become the most successful villain in criminal history and he was. They called him 'The Chameleon' and he planned to live up to that name and the reputation of being the world's most wanted criminal. He watched her closely as he bled into the background.

She started to put her things back into her rucksack which surprised him since she had told him that she was going to do some work. Then she picked it up and walked out of the classroom slowly and assertively throughout the corridor yet she kept looking back as if she was wary of someone following her but he still did. Ducking, turning and spinning when she turned around to assure her mind that she may just be seeing things in the corner of her eye; a figure that was all. Finally she had stopped at the Caretaker's cupboard where he had found her weeping the previous day. He looked at it, it just seemed like a normal store cupboard with mops and poisonous toilet cleaners yet he had learned from past experiences that looks could be deceiving. She stepped inside and closed the door sharply behind her. Niall's eyes narrowed; there was something fishy going on here, why would a normal schoolgirl go into a caretaker's closet? It just didn't make sense at all. Suddenly a gasp of wind hit his face rapidly as a prolonging whooshing sound hit the silent corridor. He flicked his head instantly to the source of the noise, it's was the caretaker's closet again. Now he was getting worried, what if something had happened to Rose? Maybe she had slipped and injured herself or broke an ancient vase or aliens had abducted her. Whatever it was; broken shards of glass or little green men he was going to save Rose. He'd be her knight in shining armour.

He quickly sprung towards the closet and hooked his hand, finger by finger onto the door handle.

'Slowly and steadily, slowly and steadily...', he quietly muttered to himself repeatedly, a small slogan his father had taught him during his training (it was a family business) and one that he wasn't prepared to forget.

'...and pounce!', he shrieked thrusting open the door only to discover nothing but a small store- room full of cleaning products, messy cleaning products. His brow furrowed in confusion, it was as if she had vanished into thin air. He eyed the room carefully looking for clues but again he found nothing. Then he had an idea, he reached one of the walls of the small, compact room and tapped it with his knuckles lightly, that material surrounding him was thin well thinner than a wall should be, all like a lift. Wait a lift? His mission briefing had mentioned that the secret M.I.9 base was located somewhat around 10,000 feet below the earth. Lifts could bring people 10,000 feet below the earth and would explain how Rose vanished '...but why would Rose have anything to do with this, unless...', he muttered to himself in worry. His eyes flared open 'No', he chuckled to himself in denial, 'Rose an M.I.9 agent, as if!', he scoffed uncertainly. She couldn't be and anyway he hadn't enough evidence to prove it, for all he knew she could be gifted in the dark arts of magic and whisped herself away.

The whooshing gasp of wind began to return and luckily for him he had time to escape as hide himself behind the staircase opposite. Out of sight he watched carefully from the safety of the staircase as Rose emerged from the caretaker's closet or what was supposed to be the caretaker's closet. He watched her close the door behind her and walk off in the other direction. She couldn't be a spy, could she?

Xxx

_Thanks for reading and please review! Also watching Rose discoing made my day!_


	4. Chapter 4

I Spy With My Little Eye- Chapter 4

_I'm so sorry for the long wait so I've made this chapter longer (not sure if this is a good thing or not), I've just had to sort out GCSEs and stuff like that but here it is and thanks so much for all the reviews, alerts and stuff like that, it means a lot to me!_

Xxx

It was morning. Rose immediately popped up from her bed enthusiastic for the day ahead as soon as the instant ringing of her alarm clock hit her. Today was going to be different. Today Rose was going on a mission. Whether M.I.9. had sacked her or not they couldn't stop her from trying. Frank had said that HQ could only be used for emergencies; a safe house if necessary, well this mission was an emergency to Rose it was anyway. An old friend had sent her the details of the mission, the whereabouts, the time, the date.

'Harwoods factory on Hill Cresent at two', he had said, he should know, he used to be a SKUL agent himself. Sometimes she wondered if he was still with them, he was just so secretive. She didn't even know his real name.

She smiled as she switched her pyjamas to her school uniform. There was another reason why she was smiling; Niall. He was...well he was Niall. She couldn't get him out of her head since yesterday yet when she looked back upon yesterday when she had visited HQ she distinctly remembered those blue-green river eyes watching her, always watching her. She couldn't put her finger on whom they belonged to yet she knew it was someone close to her. She could just feel it inside herself.

She grabbed her school bag, slung it over her left shoulder and ran downstairs for a slice of toast. Today was different. Today she would be Agent Gupta again.

Xxx

It was morning. The sun's gentle rays seeped through the cracks of Niall's bedroom curtains as his alarm clock sang for him to wake from his slumber. He groaned, wiping the sleep from his eyes, another day of lies. Lies of a normal school- kid coping with excessive homework and football. The truth was not an option. He had recovered from some tough missions but in fact school- life was the one he would suffer most from. And Rose. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her and yesterday and what had happened. He had suspicions about her but then he had hopes as well. He knew there was a possibility yet he was still in denial.

He lay soundly on his bed, his head rested on his arms as he looked up to the star cluttered ceiling deep in thought. He sighed, letting his frustration of his troubles out into the air around him. He clutched his head violently and yanked at his dark locks in anger whilst his legs raggedly threading through the air. His legs always ached when he was frustrated. Why did everything have to be so difficult? He imagined him and simplicity, worrying about homework, playing a game of footy with the lads, dissing teachers...and just holding Rose's hand. It would never work. Perfect wasn't good enough for him, it never was and it never would be but he could always try which was why he had prepared a little something for her.

'Dreams are for fools', he sighed, it was lucky that he was a fool then.

He got up and rubbed his head full of troubled thoughts but turned when his heard his phone rumbling away on his drawer. He picked it up and pushed it to his ear.

'Hello', he said caressing his tired eyes.

'Harwoods factory on Hill Cresent at two. Grand Master wants you to tackle some... some well let's just call them undesirables. Be there', and the phone line went dead, the instant buzzing ringing inside his head like a ping pong ball that just won't stop bouncing. Urgh, the never-ending, constant, forever ringing that echoed his head day by day. SKUL.

Niall glanced at his clock for a second. Damn his alarm clock was slow by an hour, he was late. Grabbing his shirt and hauling it over his head he tugged his school bag over his shoulder and ran to school in a hurry.

On the way he'd have to think of an excuse to get out of class so he could deal with those 'undesirables'. Yet he didn't know what 'undesirables' were or more likely who...

Xxx

Niall burst into class and slammed the door open, his breath seeping out heavily from his mouth after his tiring jog to school.

'What's the excuse this time?', Miss Templeman sighed with her arms crossed. She had heard it all before, the bus was late, they had to visit some grandparents, they were abducted by aliens so it was quite a surprise to actually hear the truth for once. He may have been an undercover criminal but he wasn't a liar. Lies weren't the same as keeping secrets.

'Sorry, I over- slept', he replied.

Miss Templeman nodded before urging him to sit down beside Rose and continuing with her lesson of 'The fascination of biomasses. Let's just say it wasn't as fascinating as she had made it out to be.

As she droned on Niall took out a scrawny piece of paper from his pocket and passed it over to Rose sitting next to him. She unravelled it quietly behind the teacher's gaze. It read _'Meet me at break in the library' _She smiled as she counted, counted down the seconds until break.

Xxx

Finally it was break; Niall was waiting patiently in the library, skimming his eyes across the dust scattered Shakespearean plays to pass the time. He picked one up, Romeo & Juliet, leaving his fingers to dance across the pages softly absorbed into the beautiful yet monstrous words that it offered 'love', 'happiness', 'death', 'disaster'. He shuddered at the last two words.

'I didn't really think you were the type to like Shakespeare, you seem more like the school jock', Rose smiled peeking behind the towering shelves of books to return close to him.

He quickly fumbled it back onto the shelves embarrassed from his previous mushy appearance and turned around to smile at her to face his humiliation and make an excuse for it 'Oh it just fell off the book case so I picked it up'

Rose's eyebrows rose immediately 'Shame really, I think it would have been really sweet', she mocked. His face suddenly paled 'Damn it!', he thought to himself, he had given the wrong impression...again.

Then her face broke into a heap of smiles releasing her echoing laughter.

'Oh you were joking', he chuckled coyly to himself.

She looked up and subdued her laughter. 'Half and half. Anyway I've seen you read Shakesphere. It's as if a dead flame ignites inside of you and lights your entire body up...I like that', she sighed.

The ends of his lips twitched to form a small smile as he stared at her for a moment that was all it took a single moment to know that he liked her, really liked her, loved; it was too early to say but he hoped ever so dearly that it would be so. He had never felt for anyone like this before.

Then he remembered what he was there for and pulled something out from his inside pocket. It was a small, textured yet simple box. Wordlessly he held it out on the palm of his hand to her. She picked it up with her thin nimble fingers and took it into her grasp. Examining it from all corners she finally unlocked the latch to reveal a note set inside it. She unravelled it open to read '_Would you like to come on a date with me on Saturday at seven?' _Her face remained solemn yet inside she was bursting with joy not that he could tell. She would always be a puzzle to him.

'Wow, you really like notes don't you?', she replied to his writing playing with his mind. In his head it was either going to be a 'Yes' or a 'No', this wasn't the straight answer he was expecting.

'What can I say? I'm good with codes and writing forms', he answered honestly, it did come with the title of his job.

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him curiously for a moment, he reminded her of someone she knew, someone she thought she knew very well, herself...and her old job. She shook herself quickly from old memories.

'Yes', she answered simply, starting to walk away with the box and note tucked in between her fingers, a smile etched onto her face.

Niall's face scrunched like a piece of rough paper, confused at why she had said 'Yes' caught up in the sudden silence and staring that had hit previously. 'Yes for what?' he asked over half the library, muddled up in his own confusion.

Rose was in the nearly at the door of the library at this point when she turned round over the heavily filled but quiet library 'Yes! I'll go on a date with you!', she shouted loudly, her laughs echoing off the walls of the library before getting out of there after a stern look and 'Shhhh' from the librarian. She gave him one last smile and left. You did not want to mess with the librarian. Niall chuckled to himself and pushed his dark locks from his face so he could just catch the last glimpse of her through the windowed door. After all this would be the last glimpse that he would see today...or so he thought so.

Xxx

During the rest of the remaining break Niall went to Miss Templeman's classroom to give her a letter, a letter with his supposed parent's signature stating that he would not be able to attend school after lunch due to a dentist appointment. It was forged by him, it was his speciality after all.

'Ok that's fine Niall', Miss Templeman smiled.

He nodded and was about to leave until the crazed teacher muttered something about Rose. He spun around immediately, his heart jumping high just with the mention of her name.

'Pardon?', he asked trying to look not a thing bothered but it showed that he at least had a fancy for Rose.

'Huh?', she replied not having a clue what he was talking about.

'What you just said...about Rose', he questioned eagerly.

'Oh Rose hey?', Miss Templeman teased raising her all knowing eyebrow 'Well I was just saying that it's funny, Rose is off school as well for the exact same reason at the exact same time. She's just left in fact.'

'I've gotta go', he muttered hurriedly, rushing out of class. It was nothing. Just a coincidence. But from what his father had taught him and previous mission experiences coincidences never happened.

Xxx

At the deserted factory on Hill Cresent Niall crouched in a patient wait amongst the dripping, slime engrossed walls that once were admitted to be knocked down but left when there were fears of chemical explosions awaiting. He wasn't scared though. He was trained to believe that fear was nothing and those who felt it were cowards. The last and only time he had experienced it was at his mother's funeral eight years ago. He could remember it like yesterday. How she had been taken away. How she had been tortured. How on her death certificate she didn't have a cause of her death. And those who had killed her.

Suddenly footsteps echoed across the narrow alleyway of the factory walls. Niall knew that this was probably SKUL but there was no better saying than 'Better safe than sorry' and therefore hid himself in the dark shadows. He'd find out soon enough if they had the secret codeword.

'Calpol', a deep voice shouted out. SKUL really needed to improve on their codewords.

Niall retreated from the shadows to see SKUL agents in their dark uniforms, black masks covering every inch of their faces blending them in with the darkness.

'Put this on, you don't want anyone knowing your identity do you?' said the leader throwing a dark mask in Niall's direction. He quickly slipped it on over his face.

'What do you need me for then?', Niall asked now in his full, inconspicuous, dark uniform.

'Just to get rid of some undesirables', the leader grinned under his masks whilst the rest of the SKUL agents behind him in the shadows started to laugh for a moment or two heartily before the leader turned around and glared at them causing silence again.

'Exactly what undesirables?', Niall asked cautiously.

'You'll find out soon enough, now follow me', the leader ordered eerily. Niall followed the rippling line of SKUL agents to a door down the other side of the factory. He had never met this agent before, or at least knew that he had never met him before but what of first impressions and what they went by, he didn't like him.

When they reached the door the unnamed leader pulled Niall to the side and gave him his instructions 'The undesirable in there...', he pointed to the closed door '...is an M.I.9. agent, this was a trap for the agent with the highest I.Q. in the world, M.I.9. will be nothing without him. He is tied to a chair inside and gagged. You need to set off the bomb that is attached underneath the chair and get out of there before it explodes'

'But...', Niall started, taking a life was never right, the ripples of violence and those who were affected by one single death had haunted him for a lifetime. He should know yet it was his job and one way how he could claim vengeance for his mother's death and those who had brutally murdered her. And yet he was as bad as them, he had murdered before, there was no satisfaction just the never ending hatred that tore his heart out and wouldn't taking the cleverest person from this world be even worse?

'But nothing. You're part of SKUL and once you're in there's no escape', the unnamed leader spat interrupting Niall's plea for no blood to be spilt.

Niall sighed and walked over to the door, the rest of the his team were nearing to the other end of the shadowed corridor ready to watch outside the catastrophe that it would cause, ready to make sure that he had done his job. There would be consequences otherwise. He grasped the handle of the door lightly but as he did a shout came from the leader of the group 'Remember whose side you are on Niall'. With one last glance the team left the building to wait for the confirmation of the success of the mission outside. Otherwise known as the explosion.

Niall's fingers pressed the door handle gently down, his textured skin running across the simple, cold metal to reveal a small, dirty room with a single light bulb dimly cascading rays across the room. In the centre was a simple, wooden chair and on top sat the agent. The cleverest agent in the world. The cleverest agent in the world that he was going to kill. And yet nobody knew his or her identity. He was curious now. He just sat there, tied to the chair calmly, in the M.I.9. styled uniform, a dark mask with no eye or mouth holes that SKUL had put over him so he wouldn't be able to escape.

'So you must be Agent Clever Cloggs', Niall mocked through his voice changer device.

The agent in the chair stayed as still as bone, Niall was at least expecting the hint of a curse but he got nothing, absolutely nothing. He began to circle the agent in the chair and then he spotted something. He watched as the agent shoved something up his sleeve, something shiny, metal and sharp. Niall grabbed hold of it from under the agent's sleeve. It was a small pen- knife. Then he looked below to where the agent's hands were tied roughly with rope, it was now split.

'You're handy with a pen- knife I've gotta admit but who exactly are you?', he pondered out loud. He wanted to see who he was before he killed him, he knew that his face would probably haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life but he couldn't resist the temptation of knowing.

His fingers lightly threaded at the mask the agent was wearing before tugging it off. And there it was in all her glory, the face of the brains of the world. Niall's eyes began to water impairing his vision; his body shivered from head to toe before crashing into the wall behind him. It was Rose. She was the M.I.9. agent, the brains of the world but what worse was that she was Rose; the girl he liked, really liked, maybe even loved, the girl who had asked out on a date just hours before and his instructions were to 'get rid' of her.

'Go', he whispered as his tears slid down his masked cheeks. She had already untied herself with a pen- knife after all.

'What?', she asked confused at why he had acted so sensitively after the revealing of her identity.

'Go!', he shouted at the top of his voice, his feelings just exploding out of him like the bomb he was supposed to set off.

She didn't need to be asked a third time and rubbed the rough ropes off her now callused skin and ran out of the room but just as she reached the door she glanced back at him leant across the wall, his rage seeping out and nodded. 'Thank you' was what she said with her eyes before running out of the building.

Niall slumped himself down to his knees leant across the wall. He yanked off his mask and threw it far away from himself as if it were dirt allowing the beaded tears to fall freely. How could it be that his only love had sprung from his only hate?

He wiped away the tears from his sore eyes, he needed to set off the bomb now or else SKUL would suspect something. He grasped hold of the now empty wooden chair and the bomb that was attached underneath it. His fingers rattled nervously on the timer. Ten seconds would be enough to get out of the building alive. He had done the same in a lot less before. Then, he ran as fast as he could out of the building, running away from the bad memories, away from today, away from them, away from SKUL as the blazing, fiery weapon exploded behind him. He wished he could have stayed in there for just a few more seconds, a few less seconds for escape time; life wasn't worth living when he owned those secrets that only he knew.

Xxx

_Thanks Shakesphere I guess coz I've mentioned Romeo & Juliet a lot in here, we've been reading it at school and it's AMAZING! Also thanks for putting up with this what I think is a massive chapter (it's six pages on Microsoft word!) coz it must have been very boring to put up with and I credit those of you who did! And lastly thanks for reading and please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

I Spy With My Little Eye- Chapter 5

_Hi, thanks for all the reviews, author alerts, story alerts etc. and for the longish wait for this update. I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

Xxx

As Rose meekly walked down the school corridor, her books tucked in a pile behind her arms, a firm hand grabbed her by her jumper and she was swung lightly beside the lockers...and Carrie's and Oscar's stony faces. Their eyes seemed to bore through her head. She had been on some pretty scary situations but this by far was the worst. You didn't want to get on the wrong side of them.

'Where were you yesterday?', inquired Oscar, his eyes narrowed interrogating a victimised Rose. She was pretty sure that if they had been somewhere more convenient than the school lockers that Oscar would have shined a bright light in her face.

Rose began to become very interested in her fingers as she fiddled with them trying to array her eyes from Oscar's stare and Carrie's menacing, upraised eyebrows.

'Rose', Carrie warned her voice dragging on like a teacher's does with a school kid in trouble.

Rose stayed silent for a moment looking over her options: a lie or a quick get away with the five finger twist. Since Oscar was made of muscle and Carrie would most definitely whip her arse if she ever tried such a thing on her she decided that the former was easier.

'I...um...I went to the shops', Rose stuttered not even trying to look into their eyes. She was a rubbish liar. Regretting her choice now she wished she had gone for the latter. At least the five finger twist would have kept their stares away from her.

'Really? What did you buy?', asked Carrie unimpressed by Rose's lies and waiting for her chance to catch her out.

Rose looked around for inspiration; Scoop Doggy was passing by with his so called 'posse' causing her to instantly blurt out 'Poopa scoopa!'

Carrie's and Oscar's expressions said it all as they turned to glance at each other with disappointed faces before staring back at Rose. They were at the least intimidating at times.

They had clocked it and Rose knew that they knew she was lying...and that she was in big trouble.

She smiled abruptly before trying to ease through a crack between Oscar and Carrie. This however failed and Carrie's and Oscar's arms easily plopped her back against the wall...gently of course since she was their best friend but still with the stern stubbornness. Rose may have been clever but she wasn't strong.

'Oh so you were supposedly at the shops yesterday buying a poopa scoopa...', Oscar questioned going along with Rose's little lying game. She nodded meekly although the three of them knew she was lying. '...then how do you explain this?', said Oscar thrusting an M.I.9. tracking device into Rose's face. It was showing yesterday's record of approximately 2:00pm at Harwood's factory. A red dot bleeped in the centre of the screen, it was labelled Rose Gupta.

She had been caught out but she was infuriated. What gave them the right to start following her every action? They didn't own her.

'You're not supposed to sneak gadgets from M.I.9. for your own personal use especially when our area has been suspended', Rose gritted through her teeth, she wanted to get back at them for doing that to her. So she had gone on a mission alone without M.I.9.'s permission and without back up, so what? Why were Carrie and Oscar spying on her in the first place?

'Yeah well you're not supposed to go on missions without M.I.9's permission...or us for that matter!', Carrie half shouted whispered trying to keep her voice down but showing the anger that was bubbling inside of her. However she said the last part as if she was hurt that Rose hadn't of told them, her two best friends yet she couldn't even tell them that. To that Carrie thought that it meant that Rose no longer trusted them.

'I had to do that mission. Without M.I.9. my life is nothing. Hey I'm an academic student but the beauty of maths and science teaches a person nothing of how to make friends, travel and love. Before it I had nothing, I was just a lonely geek who nobody cared about. And really if we were just normal school kids would you really pick me to be your friend?', Rose questioned coming close to tears as her eyes glazed over.

There was silence from Carrie and Oscar. They both knew the answer.

'I thought so', Rose sighed as she pushed past their limp bodies into the crowd of students passing by.

Xxx

Niall walked into class, it was empty apart from Rose who was sitting alone repeatedly kicking the table chipping parts of it off with her shoe aggressively. He had never seen her like this. She seemed so angry as if a dark shadow was biting her usual quirkiness away. She looked up for a second acknowledging his presence but then returned to her table sculpting. His 'plan A' for today was supposed to be simple: stay away from Rose and try to break it to her softly that he wouldn't be able to take her out on a date Friday night. However this did not seem so simple what with the situation at hand and his feelings for her.

'What's up?', asked Niall sitting on the table opposite her as he swung his bag over to his seat.

'Nothing', she replied her voice droning on as if she were bored.

'It doesn't look like nothing', Niall pushed on.

She breathed a heavy sigh.

'Have you ever judged someone wrongly? Like I don't know... a bully sticking up for you. Have you ever thought that maybe the baddies aren't so bad and that the good guys aren't so good?', Rose said picking her words carefully. After all she couldn't fully well say 'Have you been saved by a SKUL agent?'

'Something like that', he smiled. He had always thought that he had been on the good side when in fact after some analysis he had discovered that SKUL wasn't really so good. He used to believe that M.I.9. were the baddies, his sworn enemy but since he had met Rose his eyes had been opened to stereotyping and the individual few. There was no escape now.

'Well what's so bad about that?', he asked slightly happy that she had thought of her saviour more open-mindedly.

'I've hated SK..those bullies since well since I started this school', she corrected herself as she jabbed a ruler into the table, her aggression seeping out.

His face dropped, he had just thought that there may be a chance for this relationship without any lies or secrets but it seemed that she was dead set against people like him.

'They can't be that bad if one of them stuck up for you', he muttered half trying to stick up for himself and his cause.

'They're not. They're deceitful, selfish, horrible people', she spat grabbing her books and leaving the room for the next lesson leaving him alone in the classroom. Reminiscing on her words, his eyes glazed over. That was what she thought of him.

Xxx

Rose was a little calmer as she walked down the corridor to English. Niall's words had softened her and she couldn't help thinking that she had been too harsh and coy with the words she had used to describe SKUL. After all one of them was kind enough to save her life. Yet whenever she thought about the enemy cooperation something seemed to harden in her gut as if the hatred inside her strengthened.

For the second time that day she was hauled aside to the side of the lockers by a strong hand yet this time it was careless to the bruises that would appear on her skin.

'Not again', she muttered as she rolled her eyes. However this time it met the callous stares of Nick and his gang a.k.a. the school bullies. Their usual target was poor Colin, he would have been a popular and good looking kid if it wasn't for his extra large glasses, wiry braces and his love for algebra but Colin wasn't here today. He had taken a day off as 'ill', probably to get away from Nick and his crew of monsters. So that left the second most unpopular kid in the school; Rose.

She was slammed forcefully against the metal of a locker door. It didn't take her long to realise that she'd have to stay undercover even if that did mean she may get beaten up. It would look strange if a geek like her had single-handedly used all the karate tricks in the book to defeat Nick and his motley crew. She'd have to play the card she hated the most; the damsel in distress.

'So little Rosie, didn't your parents ever tell you it's not safe to walk alone?', Nick mocked causing the rest of his gang to laugh along with him not because of the joke but because of the sheer fright of what he would do to them if they didn't.

Rose stood surrounded by large and grotesque boys and the wall of the lockers behind her. She stayed silent as her fingers twitched; twitching with edginess to punch one of those boys right where it hurt but she kept her anger under control not giving herself or her ability away. That would be a fatal mistake.

'You'll get what's coming to you', Nick grimaced yanking at her collar and raising her from the ground. Her breath became panted from the strangling of the collar...or what was known as the pretence of being strangled by the collar, she had to act the part obviously. Even if she was a rubbish liar, hell she could act. She didn't get people like Nick. What gave bullies like him the right to judge people? Nick reminded her of someone she knew; herself. She had judged those from SKUL without even knowing that each person was an individual and different, what they did in the past should be forgotten and only the present should have been seen like the agent who had saved her. She was as bad as Nick. She was a bully.

The coursing of her collar began to pain around her neck leaving red marks scorching across her skin, if Nick raised her any higher she would truly have trouble breathing. Her back up plan for escape would not work, she was too short of breath to kick him where it hurt as her heart found it hard to pump the blood around her body. His firm hand gripped around her circulatory system on her neck. Her hands tried to push his away but they wouldn't budge. Maybe he didn't notice but the hands that were once trying firmly to push him away had fallen limply to her sides, her eyes lightly fell shut.

Niall who was pretty late in going to his next lesson walked down the corridor when he saw the commotion of the school bullies in the corner of the locker room. This usually happened on a daily occurrence, some poor soul got beaten sometimes nearly to death by those monsters. But something was different this time. There was just silence. No cursing, no taunting and no fighting back. Just silence.

Curious, he dropped his rucksack to the floor quietly and walked closer to the commotion. He looked through a crack in the gang to see Rose slumped across the floor unconscious...or at least he hoped so. A fire burned inside of him, the rippling beat of hate drummed on his heart. Nick swivelled around at the sound of footsteps to see Niall distraught yet with fists clenched at the sight of Rose hurt like that.

'Now new boy you tell anyone of this and you'll be...', Nick threatened making a slicing motion across his neck.

Tears fell down Niall's cheeks as heavy as beads. His taste for anger had overcome him and wordlessly he pulled Nick by his jumper towards him and thrust his fist into the bone of Nick's nose causing it to bleed thoroughly. Nick ran like the coward he was, his loyal crew running after him with a large amount of andrex tissues.

Distraught, Niall walked slowly towards Rose as if the longer he took reaching her, the quicker she would recover. His eyes were clouded with tears as if he were blinded with cataract. He pushed them away quickly and knelt next to Rose's limp body. Hesitantly he moved his index finger towards her neck where her pulse would be at its strongest...if she still had one. It was weak but she still had one.

'Thank God', he sighed out aloud a slight smile washed over his face.

Gently, his hands softly brushed against the coarse scars of the damage her collar had caused. They were scarlet red, any deeper and blood from her main arteries would have spilled out.

He held her hand tightly and waited for her patiently to come back to consciousness. Her eyes slowly fluttered open like a pair of butterfly wings to find river blue- green irises staring at her softly before smiling. She immediately looked around for any battling bullies but found only Niall.

'Don't worry, they're gone. I made sure of that', assured Niall trying to calm her down by placing his hands on her shoulders steadying her breath.

Immediately she tugged him into a hug feeling his warmth despite the pain on her neck. She didn't want to let go, he was the only one she knew she could be safe next to. Little did she know that her trust in him would be her downfall. She didn't see the tears that fell from his eyes as she gripped him into her embrace.

Xxx

_Well what do you think? I kinda had to think about this chapter on the spot since K9 (a friend who HATES MY BELOVED MERLIN!) kinda made me promise to update on the weekend. Please press the review button and review (especially you K9 since you asked for this!) and it'll be kinda like my birthday wish for Sunday so please review and I love you all (maybe not you so much K9 since you hate Merlin!)_


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